The Infants have been engaging in many different painting experiences this month. They have also been doing lots of running in the classroom. The educators decided to try and combine these two interests.
Educator Lorie taped some long paper on a long piece of cardboard, she then splattered some pain on the paper and taped some bubble wrap on top. Then she placed it on the floor and invited the children to explore it. Ava and Liam were first to come over and test their ideas. They used their fingers to poke at the bubbles. "Are you popping the bubbles?" Educator Kiva asked. "Pop, pop," Ava repeated as she worked. Raphael, Johnny and Josie decided to join in. "How does it feel on your feet?" Lorie asked. Josie crawled on top of the bubble wrap, stood up and curled her toes into the paint. Johnny held Kiva's hands and jumped on the bubble wrap. "Oh look," Kiva said, "the paint is moving when you jump. Now the red and yellow are mixing together." Johnny pointed to where he was jumping and looked at Lorie, to show her his work. Kiva suggested that the Infants run on top of their work. So they made a line and took turns running the length on the cardboard. When Kiva pointed out that all of the colours were "blending" and "mixing" together, Ava decided to get a closer look. She lay down and put her head on top of the wrap. "I see," she said pointing to the paints. "Do you see the paint mixing?" Kiva asked. Ava pointed at the paint again and said "mix." Raphael, Liam and Johnny all joined her in laying down on top of their work. They lay there for a short time, then decided they would like to go outside.
Beckham and Rowan came into the classroom and headed straight for the paint. Beckham used his whole hand to hit the bubble wrap. "That's a good idea," Kiva acknowledged, "pat, pat, pat the paint." Beckham laughed and said "pat, pat," as he hit the bubble wrap. Rowan decided to hold his mom's hands and walk into the classroom. he came right to the paint and stood on top of it. After a few seconds he decided to sit down and do some work. He banged both hands on the wrap at the same time, then he leaned over and poked at the bubble wrap. Beckham and Rowan sat beside each other on the bubble wrap and worked to push the paint around. When they had both moved on to play with something else, Lorie took the wrap off the top and set the paper aside to dry. The educators plan to use this colourful work as a pride flag to hang outside their room.
Based on this experience, it seems like the Infants are interested in open-ended art activities that involve using their fine motor skills. We may find other ways to expand on this interest by offering more no mess paint. we could also try painting with smaller items such as pom poms.
